Library Blog
Posted on Fri, July 24, 2020 - 08:00pm
Currently Baking: Banana Bread from Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Cafe by Joanne Chang with Christie Matheson; photographs by Keller + Keller
Reader/Baker: Lily Goldstein, Circulation
Image retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/8190925
What's it about?…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, July 23, 2020 - 08:00pm
All summer we’ve been retelling Folk and Fairy Tales in our storytimes.* We also have a whole collection of Folk Tales in our picture book area, with retellings of folk and fairy tales from around the world – from the most popular to the most obscure. In fact, they’re being moved to a more…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Tue, July 21, 2020 - 08:00pm
The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook
When a seemingly harmless prank turns deadly, seventeen-year-old Skye Thorn realizes the people she's involved with are willing to kill to get what they want, she must discover their true identities before it's too late.
Available on Hoopla
The Disappearance…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Mon, July 20, 2020 - 08:00pm
Reading and vocabulary go hand in hand – one can improve the other, and vice versa. How fortunate that reading and talking to your baby is so easy! Little ones learn words at an amazing rate. The more words he learns now, the more he will be able to express and understand (spoken and written) later…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Sun, July 19, 2020 - 08:00pm
Watch Ed the Wizard’s Reading is Magic! show on Zoom tonight, Monday, July 20, at 6:00 PM!
Ed the Wizard will present a fun, energetic magic program - with a focus on reading! Ed ot into magic in part by using books to learn some tricks! For this show, he’ll join us live and share with you some of…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, July 16, 2020 - 08:00pm
A few months ago, we featured these Build-A-Story cards from Barefoot Books. They’re a fun way to Imagine Your Story - write or tell a story of your own! This time, we’ve got more cards with new characters, settings, and ideas for you to use.
You can use these to keep up your writing skills (both…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Tue, July 14, 2020 - 08:00pm
The Ames Free Library and Hockomock Film Festival recently announced the winners of our Three-Minute Film Contest!
The winners are:
Natalie Clouser
"Finding the Fun"
1st Prize, Adult
Kayley Fredericks
"When Will my School Open?"
1st Prize, Teen
And our very own Dana Hourigan submitted…
Category: AFL Videos
Posted on Tue, July 14, 2020 - 08:00pm
If you like this book...
...you might like this one!
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
Also available on Overdrive
Out of the Blue by Sophie Cameron
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by MacKenzi Lee
Also available on Overdrive and as audio on Hoopla
Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Mon, July 13, 2020 - 08:00pm
Nursery rhymes are perfect little songs for encouraging language development. Although they aren’t always sung, nursery rhymes do have a rhythmic lilt, encouraging that sing-song cadence that helps ingrain things into little brains. They are short, sweet, and easy to remember, and, as their name…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Sun, July 12, 2020 - 08:00pm
Welcome to the fourth episode in Ames Free Library's new video series, “Stepping Out.” These short, Library-produced nature videos will, we hope, enrich your outdoor experiences and increase your understanding of the local environment. In a time of social distancing and significant stress,…
Category: AFL Videos
Posted on Sun, July 12, 2020 - 08:00pm
Every Tuesday, Youth Services hosts an interactive kids’ program on Zoom. We’re featuring STEM activities, crafts, and a few movement programs too! Find out more about each program on the Kids’ Events page. Each program requires registration ahead of time (click here), after which you will receive…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, July 09, 2020 - 08:00pm
Kitchen exploration is a fun way to spend time with your kids!
They might try new foods.They will learn lifelong skills.They can practice reading by reading recipes.They can work on math (fractions, anyone?!). Try doubling or halving a recipe!
It’s not always a laugh… sometimes that half cup of…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Tue, July 07, 2020 - 08:00pm
Stephenie Meyer is an American novelist. She is best known for her vampire romance series Twilight, which has sold over 100 million copies, with translations into 37 different languages. Read more about Ms. Meyer and her works on her website. She recently announced the upcoming publication of the…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Mon, July 06, 2020 - 08:00pm
Many of us native English speakers don’t think twice about the language we use with our children – but if your native language is anything other than English, use it! Encourage grandparents, caregivers, or anyone else Baby interacts with on a regular basis to use the language with which they are…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Sun, July 05, 2020 - 08:00pm
Watch DinoMan’s DINOSAURS show on Zoom tonight, Monday, July 6, at 6:00 PM!
Fossils, magic, and science are blended into a fun 35- to 40-minute program. You’ll be taken on a trip through the Mesozoic era to learn about which dinosaurs lived at that time, and what kind of fossil record they left…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, July 02, 2020 - 08:00pm
Looking for a different kind of family activity? Check out our virtual quizzes and escape rooms based on our summer Imagine Your Story theme!
Every other Monday, there will be a new quiz focused on some imaginative theme, and the following week there will be a virtual escape room to explore based…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Tue, June 30, 2020 - 08:00pm
Are you up for a challenge? Every two weeks, starting Monday, June 29, we will be posting links to virtual escape rooms for teens. If you think you think you have what it takes to escape give it a try...we dare you!
June 29th - Hunger GamesJuly 13th - Stranger ThingsJuly 27th - Star Wars: The…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Mon, June 29, 2020 - 08:00pm
When a child is engaging in dramatic play, she is also learning how to tell a story. The older she gets, the more elaborate her stories become - but even toddlers who start to create make-believe with their toys are telling stories! When a stuffed animal gets tucked into bed - there’s a story…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Sun, June 28, 2020 - 08:00pm
Mansfield native and Broadway set designer David Korins talks about his life and work, which includes Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Beetlejuice, Mrs. Doubtfire, and other hits!
Category: AFL Videos
Posted on Sun, June 28, 2020 - 08:00pm
Kevin Friend and Kate Klise* discuss the makings of their documentary Borderland: The Life & Times of Blanche Ames Ames. Kevin and Kate will discuss how they told the story of this remarkable woman in words, images, and music. Whether you're looking to document your own life or the life of a…
Category: AFL Videos
Posted on Sun, June 28, 2020 - 08:00pm
Trainer extraordinaire Georgina Englishby provides a fun and interactive workout from the comfort of your chair at home. She will take you through a series of strengthening and relaxing stretch exercises that will invigorate your body and focus your mind. You just need access to Zoom and a kitchen…
Category: AFL Videos
Posted on Sun, June 28, 2020 - 08:00pm
Karen Roche, a breast cancer survivor, who passionately develops products that do the job without hurting your skin or the environment. She'll demonstrate some simple to make and use products as you avoid shopping and explore new options! For a list of ingredients that you'll need for the Master…
Category: AFL Videos
Posted on Sun, June 28, 2020 - 08:00pm
Have you signed up for summer reading yet? Do it now! It’s all online, so you can sign up, record your reading, and select your prize beads (kids up to age 12) or raffle tickets (teens and adults) right from your device!
Once you’re logged in, check out all fun extras! Follow your reading progress…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, June 25, 2020 - 08:00pm
Kwame Alexander is a multi-award-winning poet/author known for his middle-grade books about basketball, and more recently for the Caldecott Award winning book The Undefeated, but these are just two examples of his many works spanning from picture books to YA novels.
Books in the Crossover series…
Category: Youth Services, Kids